Perth businessman jailed for 21 months

A Perth businessman who was caught with 90,000 of drugs in his van was sent to prison for 21 months.

Perth Sheriff Court heard how police officers and a police dog searched the vehicle belonging to Calum Menzies, 51, c/o Perth Prison, and found more than 300g of amphetamines in the spare wheel compartment of his Ford Transit van.

Despite Menzies’s solicitor, George Mathers, describing his client’s involvement in the crime as “minimal” and claiming he never saw or touched the drugs, the court was told that police intelligence had been carried out on Menzies’s vehicle.

The court heard that police officers had a search warrant for the van.

It was taken from a car park in Breadalbane Terrace, Perth, to Perthshire Recovery Services where it was forensically examined.

Following the search, a bag containing 312.4g of amphetamine was found.

Its purity was found to be around 29%. Depute fiscal Carol Whyte had said if the drugs were cut to this purity they would have a street value of 90,000.

Mr Mathers said his client’s son had a drug and gambling problem and that he himself did not offend until he was 31.

The solicitor admitted Menzies had two previous convictions for drugs offences.

Menzies admitted possessing the class B drug while at a car park on Breadalbane Terrace, Perth, on December 31.